1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a magnetic card reader that reads a magnetic card and a transaction terminal device that includes the magnetic card reader.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic cards in which necessary data is recorded on a magnetic stripe, such as a credit card, a cash card, and an ID card, are widely used. The data that is recorded on the magnetic card can be read with dedicated magnetic card reader. In a slide-type magnetic card reader, when a user passes the magnetic card through a slit (a card sliding passage), the magnetic card is slid in a state where the magnetic stripe comes into contact with a magnetic head (a magnetic reader) that is built into the slide-type magnetic card reader, and thus, the data that is recorded on the magnetic stripe is read as a magnetic signal.
For example, in a magnetic card reader that is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 6-150520, a plurality of magnetic heads are arranged to face each other with a card sliding passage in between, and thus it is possible that both surface of the magnetic card are read. Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Nos. 2011-138288 and 2012-203950, a constitution is disclosed in which, in order to transfer a signal that is read with a magnetic head to an electric circuit for signal processing that is provided within a magnetic card reader, the magnetic head and the electric circuit are connected to each other with a flexible cable.
Incidentally, in the magnetic card reader that has a plurality of magnetic heads, when the flexible cable is individually installed for each magnetic head, because a wiring structure is complex and workability for assembling is low, it is desirable that a constitution in which a plurality of magnetic heads are connected to an electric circuit using one flexible cable (that is, one flexible cable into which flexible cables for a plurality of magnetic heads are integrally combined) is employed.
On the other hand, with the constitution in which the plurality of magnetic heads share one flexible cable in this manner, when the magnetic card that passes along the card sliding passage comes into contact with one magnetic head, in some cases, a movement (an external force) of the magnetic head due to this magnetic card's contact is transferred to other magnetic heads through the flexible cable (that is, other magnetic heads are displaced). Accordingly, when a state in which other magnetic heads does not directly face the magnetic stripe that passes along the card sliding passage, within a range of suitable angles, is achieved, in some cases, it is difficult to perform reading with the data on magnetic card being stabilized.
Particularly, in a case where a length of the flexible is more shortened in terms of miniaturization of the magnetic card reader, a phenomenon in which the external force from one magnetic head is transferred to other magnetic heads through the flexible cable is more remarkable. Furthermore, not only in the case where the length of the flexible cable is shortened, but also under low temperature, the phenomenon in which the external force from one magnetic head is transferred to other magnetic heads through the flexible cable is more remarkable.